David Archuleta's 22nd birthday &...9 months!

Edited by me, original photo credit to naree

HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY TO THE ONE AND ONLY DAVID ARCHULETA! Wow! It doesn't seem that long ago when I first saw him on American Idol...only 17 years old then! It's amazing to witness how much he has accomplished since then: 5 studio albums (not including the Asian Tour Edition of The Other Side of Down), 1 live album with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, 6 tours, a memoir, a leading role on a Filipino soap opera, and many more!
This morning, my mom, upon seeing the nice weather, said to me "you wanted to go to the Thai food place right? We can walk over today for lunch!" and I replied "okay!" then, realizing how perfect this is, I said "oh yeah, it's David's birthday!!" My mom goes on to say "should we celebrate by ordering more dishes? Are you paying?" haha! Here's to hoping he has a great day, year, and many more joyful birthdays to come!

p.s. Today also marks 9 months since David left on his mission. 15 months to go!

~Rinnie

1 year ago...David Archuleta's My Kind of Christmas Tour kicked off!

Hello everyone! Since today marks 1 year after the first show of the My Kind of Christmas Tour, I decided to write a post about my experience, an experience of this tour from a fan who, very sadly, could not make a show.

*flashes back to 1 year ago*

I live in Seattle, and did not make the "Idol" tour show in Tacoma or the David/Demi tour show in Seattle because I was out of the country both times (Philippines and Taiwan respectively, summer vacation!). Determined to make a show, I got my hopes up that he might come here, since he hasn't been here in so long. When the tour dates came out, I was crushed. The closest shows from me were in Idaho, and the cities were 12-hour drives away, trips that I could not afford. A friend of mine goes to college in L.A. and lives less than 20 minutes away from the Anaheim venue and reasonably close to the L.A. venue, but I also could not afford to fly down and visit her to go to the shows together. Maybe I had a feeling that this would be his last tour in a long time, I don't know, but having waited almost 4 years to attend a David concert was just getting a little too long. It especially hurt to hear people talking about this being their 10th David concert, or complaining that they couldn't make a show this time, having already seem him more than twice.

However, many amazing ninja fans delivered! On the night of each show, I eagerly scrolled through my twitter feed for live updates of the show, for funny occurrences and for songs sung during VIP. The next morning, I would comb YouTube for the best quality video I could find of each performance. Eventually I would have favorites (such as This Christmas, Sleigh Ride, Fa La La La La, Climb Every Mountain) and focus on watching those performances from all the different shows.

I remember on the night of the Salt Lake City show, there was a cellcast/screencast. I was so excited to be watching a show live, and the quality was actually pretty darn great considering! David sounded absolutely amazing, but when he got very choked up talking about his family at one point, I realized that something must be up, since he sounded like he was saying goodbye. Sure enough, David said that he had an important announcement to make later in the show. Sitting at the edge of my seat with bated breath, I listened as he announced that he has decided to go on a full-time mission. I immediately started clapping and getting all excited for him...before I realized what that meant for the fans.

*back to the present*

But David has given us so much! I couldn't have asked for more and could never thank me enough. "Good things come to those who wait" right? I can wait 2 more years to tell David how much of an inspiration he is to me and to attend a show of his. Those of my friends unaware of my experiences are surprised that I have never seen him perform live, and think that I'm probably satisfied living off the YouTube performances. That kind of stings. I mean, come on, seeing your favorite singer in concert is not always easy! I know I'm just rambling now and have stopped making sense so I'll stop now. Thanks for reading!

~Rinnie

Happy 4th Birthday to David Archuleta's debut album!

Wow! Can't believe it's been 4 years since the release of David Archuleta's self-titled debut album! How does it feel to have a 4-year-old child, David? ;)
It doesn't feel that long ago to me, to be honest. Seems just like last week (yesterday's too recent)...

I remember on the morning of 11/11/2008, my mom and I went to Target with a family friend. I immediately darted toward the CD section and found a row of David's face on the shelf and grabbed a copy...not before I've checked for scratches and cracks on the case like I had OCD or something though. The family friend asked about the CD and David and my mom explained. He then said that he should probably get a copy for his daughters too, but you know what my mom said? She said that we can just burn a copy for them! I was so mad but couldn't show it while he was there! Later, I told my mom that I wanted his album to do well and sell more, so she should have let him buy it haha! However, that's not yet the end of my David adventures for that day.
After I got home, I immediately went on YouTube trying to listen to all the iTunes and Walmart bonus tracks. I was getting increasingly anxious as I couldn't find a couple of the songs, which was so dumb of me since the album just came out. Anyways, after that, I put the album into the CD slot of our super old stereo system, and it kept spitting out the CD! I had to keep pressing the close button every time, but the 50 times it spat out the CD sure gave me enough time to read David's 3,000-word liner notes! The player eventually accepted the CD, thank goodness! I remember thinking "Barriers" was weird, but it has grown to be one of my favorites. I really wished I could have bought the iTunes copy with bonus tracks, but I was just a poor high school sophomore LOL! It sure was an eventful day and I was so glad that I didn't have school because of Veteran's Day.

My favorite track on the album: A Little Too Not Over You
My favorite bonus tracks: Waiting For Yesterday, Works For Me, Somebody Out There

The album (released under 19 Entertainment/Jive Records) has since been certified gold by RIAA (as of January 2009) and the lead single, "Crush," has since sold over 2 million copies (yay double-platinum!).

p.s. when I went back to Taiwan the next summer, I made sure to look for it! I liked their cover better because he was smiling, but taking off the outer case, the actual CD still has the same cover lol. My brother asked if I was going to buy it, but I said no because that was the only copy and I wanted someone to have a chance to discover his music too :)

~Rinnie

David Archuleta's "Forevermore"... Expanded Edition!

On October 19th, David's manager, Kari, tweeted us through his account that something special is coming soon in the form of "Forevermore- Expanded Edition"! It's an expanded edition of the March 2012 Philippines release. At first I thought the photo attached would be a screencap of the upcoming "Rainbow- remix" music video, since we've been anticipating that for a while. Well, I guess I was half right, since this special release does include it. Here's the photo she actually tweeted:

Isn't the album cover lovely? I think so! This time, soon does mean soon! Kari tweeted that the album will be released after 10/31 but before 11/21 (it's already being manufactured!). Oh my goodness, David and Kari are too good to us fans! And here's the album's contents that she tweeted on the 25th:

Looks like the only new things are the music videos, the "Rainbow" remix, and some extra minus-ones (the Rainbow minus-one seems to be missing, guess they didn't want to overwhelm us with quadruple rainbows haha!). But guess what? I'll be getting it anyway!

If you don't live in the Philippines and are interested in getting a copy too, here are places you can order from online (Available since 11/14/2012):
Amazon
WOW HD

For more information, visit David's official site.

~Rinnie

6 Months...A Milestone for Both David Archuleta & His Fanbase

Today marks 6 months to the day David left on his LDS mission. He has spent the last few months serving his religion in Chile, gaining unforgettable, once in a lifetime experiences along the way while also developing his Spanish skills. David, as of today, is 25% done with his service, and who knows how many more people this amazing man has already inspired and will continue to inspire through this journey!

However, this milestone is not David's alone, but all the patiently awaiting fans', his Archies, ArchAngels, Go-Getters, whichever each fan prefers. Although we understand how important this was for him to do, we already can't wait for his return! Many are already planning for his comeback concert (me included!). I know I probably speak for many as I say this, but I miss him everyday. When everyday occurrences remind me of him, I feel simultaneously happy and slightly sad. Some fans probably think it's going against David's wishes to look at pictures of him on his mission because he doesn't want attention on him. But for me, I feel like I need to look at them, just so that they can reassure me that he is happy and doing well. I don't purposefully go looking for blog posts and pictures from his fellow missionaries, but I do look at and read the ones that have surfaced over twitter and been made more public. I think he mostly just doesn't want fans to be all over him while he is there and drawing attention away from the goal of his mission; I don't think he wants to completely cut us off. It seems obvious that the pictures that have surfaced were taken with his knowledge, and therefore, I do not feel guilty looking at them. 

This waiting has felt simultaneously long and fleeting. Emotionally, it's felt like years, but time wise, it's already been 6 months when it feels like he just left! Sorry if I'm not really making any sense haha, just rambling here. It's funny and strange how someone I've never even met could be such a huge part of, and have such a huge impact on, my life. Let us and enjoy and celebrate this milestone by listening to BEGIN.!

~Rinnie

p.s. today is kind of a special day for me also because exactly 1 year ago today was when I started college!

David Archuleta Explains the Title "BEGIN."

Sorry this is a day late, I was busy watching a Taiwanese drama yesterday and didn't even turn on my personal computer LOL! But I did watch this video right when I saw it yesterday morning. Anyways...

In this new video from David's official channel (theofficialarchuleta) recorded, I think, the day before his departure, David explains the significance of the album title "BEGIN." in his own words. Fun tidbit, this video was uploaded exactly one month after the album's release, which I doubt is coincidental. The meaning is basically what I and many others guessed, that this album represents the beginning of a new chapter in his life, a new journey, and the desire to take us with him and let us understand. I am not amazing at explaining either, so I'll let the video do the talking. It's so amazing to hear David's voice again, explaining his choice in his words. Also great to see his dogs haha! I miss him so much!

p.s. I'm still curious about the capitalization and the period.

~Rinnie

David Archuleta's BEGIN. in stores today!

21-year-old singer David Archuleta's 5th pop album (7 total), "BEGIN.", is in stores today! This is a cover album with 1 original song, Broken (lyrics: Jon Hunt music: David Archuleta). Here are some places where you can purchase it:
Amazon (online)
Amazon MP3 (online- digital)
Astroplus (Philippines, in stores)
Barnes & Noble (online/in stores)
Best Buy (online, free shipping)
books.com.tw (Taiwan, online)
Costco (in stores)
DeepDiscount (online)
Deseret Book (online/in stores)
Discópolis (Spain, online)
Ensign Books (in stores)
Fry's (online, free shipping)
FYE (online/in stores?)
Gramophone (Singapore, in stores)
Harvest Books (in stores)
iTunes (online- digital)
J&R (online)
kmart (online)
MyMusic Store (Philippines, online- digital)
Newbury Comics (online)
Overstock.com (online)
Seagull Book (online/in stores)
Sears (online, $0.99 shipping)
Speedy Video (Malaysia, in store)
Walmart (online/in stores)
WOW HD (online, free shipping anywhere)
The Taiwan edition of the album comes with 4 additional postcards while supplies last. Sold in Taiwan and Hong Kong!
~ If you can't afford to buy one, please see my last post for suggestions on how to get one gifted to you! Illegal downloading is NEVER the answer.

Haven't decided if you want to buy it yet? Here are some reviews for the album that might help you make up your mind. This list will be updated as more reviews roll in:
Creative Disc (Indonesia, reviews the song Broken) Rating: 9/10
Idol Chatter Rating: B-
MUSIC IS MY OXYGEN WEEKLY Rating: 3.5/5
The Washington Times Rating: 2/5
Entertainment Tonight Rating: Positive
Jacob Elyachar Journalist Rating: A-
Elizabeth Rosalyn Rating: Positive
AllMusic Rating: 2.5/5
Salt Lake Tribune Rating: C
Book Giveaways Rating: Positive (enter to win a copy!)
HPfanRinnie's Rambles Rating: A-
Soul David Rating: Positive
Deseret News Rating: Positive
Dear Music Appreciators Rating: 4/5
Teen Ink Rating: Positive
Tuned In Rating: 3.5/5
The Preston Citizen Rating: Positive
Inquirer Entertainment (Philippines) Rating: Positive
Manila Bulletin (Philippines) Rating: Positive
Some of the reviews claim a lack of emotional connection (& even contain some personal attacks), which, if you're familiar with David and his singing in general, is almost never true. And believe me when I say, his voice easily soars over the production :)

For a special message from David regarding the release, click here.

For more information such as snippets, what David himself says about this album, and tracklist, see this post and the links below. Thank you guys for supporting!
David Archuleta's Official Site
Official Twitter
Kari's (manager) Twitter
Official YouTube
Official Facebook
Official Myspace

~Rinnie

Supporting David Archuleta's New Album BEGIN.

Hey everyone! BEGIN. is coming out in 5 days! So exciting! I was going to put this with the last post, seeing as that one was all information on BEGIN., but I'm sure it would make that post way too big and hard to navigate. So I guess, branching off of that...

First:
Just wanted to remind you all to support David by legally obtaining BEGIN.! I know it might not be possible for everyone to afford one, since I myself could just manage to pre-order 1 copy! However, this does not make illegal downloading the answer. This is a very wonderful fanbase (more like a huge family!), and there are many generous fans out there who have extra copies or can afford to buy more and are delighted to help you out! So ask around on Twitter, Facebook, fan sites, etc. Here's a list of fan sites, just to name a few:
Fans of David*
FanScene*
The Voice
David Beyond Borders
SnowAngelz (Canada)
Archuleta Philippines
And don't worry if you don't live in the same country as your donor! Many fans are willing to gift anyway! They can also gift through iTunes if your iTunes accounts are from the same country. So depending on where your donor is from, getting an account from that country if you can is probably a good idea. If you want to be a donor, even if it's just 1 copy, e-mail Fans of David at fodfrontpage@gmail.com or FanScene at janeySA79@gmail.com.
*known gifting program available

Second:
In addition to getting a legal copy of the album, there are additional ways you can help! As you know, Broken is already available on the U.S. iTunes store and people have already posted it on YouTube. Though some posts might say "do not download," that would not stop anyone determined enough. So please leave a comment and message these users by politely asking them to remove their video or replace it with an incomplete version. If people want the song, they have to go buy it! The same goes for all the other songs when the album comes out, since there will surely be videos of those as well!
UPDATE:  Some even have posted download links for the entire album on their YouTube videos, and those need to be removed! Please ask them to do so politely and explain why. They need to understand!  

Third:
PROMOTION! This is an essential part of sales. I know David doesn't really care too much, but he really deserves all the success and more. Remember when The Other Side of Down came out and half the fans didn't even know about it until a year later? Let's make sure that doesn't happen again! Deseret Book and Kari have already done an amazing job with the promotion, but we can do our part too. Post about the album on social networking sites, work it into a conversation with someone (I did!), and if you have a twitter account...twibbon! It adds a little logo to your avatar to show off your support. Click here to add one created by AnnieDAFG!

That's all for now and thank you all for reading! Can't wait for to hear the full album after August 7!! This post will be updated regularly.

~Rinnie

David Archuleta BEGIN. Exclusive Preview & Info.!

Hello! In the last couple of days, David's tour manager, Kari, has granted us previews to the covers from his upcoming album "BEGIN."! I personally haven't listened yet (except for Somewhere Only We Know) because I want everything to be new & fresh- a surprise- when I finally have the album in my hands. Take a listen if you are interested!

Snippets:


~YouTube versions of SoundCloud clips:
  "Beautiful"- Christina Aguilera (iTunes 90 sec)
  "Somewhere Only We Know"- Keane (iTunes 90 sec)
  "Everybody Hurts"- R.E.M. (iTunes 90 sec)
  "Don't Give Up"- Peter Gabriel (iTunes 90 sec)
  "Angel"- Sarah McLachlan (iTunes 90 sec)
  "Bridge Over Troubled Water"- Simon & Garfunkel (iTunes 90 sec)
  "Broken"- David Archuleta (iTunes 90 sec)
  "True Colors"- Cyndi Lauper (iTunes 90 sec)
  "Pride (In the Name of Love)"- U2 (iTunes 90 sec)
  "Be Still My Soul"- Sibelius (iTunes 90 sec)

David Archuleta talks about his upcoming BEGIN. album & more in these short clips:
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 5
Video 6 of 6

The album is now available for pre-order from:
Deseret Book
Walmart
WOW HD (free shipping!)
Barnes & Noble
Best Buy
Amazon
Amazon MP3 (w/ previews different from iTunes!)
DeepDiscount.com
Sears ($0.99 shipping!)
kmart
Tower Records
FYE
Newbury Comics
BlowItOutaHere.com
importCDs
OverStock
J&R
iTunes (w/ an instant download of the original track, Broken, when you pre-order from the U.S. store!)
~and will be released on 8/7/2012 (eep!)

This post will be updated regularly if more previews are released & more information becomes available. Have a great day everyone!

~Rinnie

David Archuleta: 1 year since Stadium of Fire 2011

It's been exactly 1 year since David Archuleta performed what, in my opinion, is the best national anthem he's ever sung yet (and the best I've ever heard). I remember wishing I could have been in Provo, Utah to watch his whole performance. The national anthem performance was a surprise, though most of us fans already guessed that David will be the one performing it. They started by showing a clip of a 12-year-old David singing the first 2 lines of the Star-Spangled Banner at the 2003 Stadium of Fire on the screen, then David takes over for his younger self, following the key change presented by the piano. The epicness of that performance can be witnessed above (thanks to 8throwcenter on YouTube).
If it's not already clear, I have not gotten over this performance yet. There's something about how he put so much respect and admiration into each syllable, and the way he spontaneously follows the music with slight changes in melody and dynamics, never too much to render the song unrecognizable. David is one of the best anthem singers (and singer in general) that I've ever heard and has delivered many great performances of this song. However, this one leaves all the other performances behind. Every time I come across this video, I cannot help but watch it multiple times, savoring every note. I can't wait to hear him perform live for the first time sometime in the future! See you in 2014 David, we miss you!! His other performances from that event can be found on 8throwcenter's channel on YouTube as well (Can't forget "Stomping the Roses" with the dancers ROFL, or the spectacular patriotic medley). :)


~Rinnie

4 years of being an "Archie"!

Oh my heck! I can't believe it's exactly 4 years ago today that I saw the amazing David Archuleta audition for American Idol on my TV! I was a Freshman in high school, now I'm one in college! He was 16 (since the audition happened the summer before it aired) and is now 21! I've told the story many times about how at first I doubted him and the rest is history, haha, so I won't do it again. That moment was very memorable though, for sure! But man, time flies! He's already had 5 albums (when you include the Asian Tour Edition of 2010's The Other Side of Down and 2011's Christmas special release, Glad Christmas Tidings, with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), a best-selling memoir, and now Nandito Ako, a TV miniseries in the works in the Philippines, airing February 20th on TV5! He also left his record company last February in order to stay true to himself in this business and to go his own way; he managed to organize a Christmas tour all by himself, and it ran from December 1-21st 2011! It all started with David's decision to audition for the singing competition and everyone's recognition of his musical genius. He will be leaving on a 2-year mission for the LDS church in just a few weeks, but I am proud to say that I'm still a huge fan and will still be here when he returns. Can't wait to watch the show (and hear the song!) Nandito Ako (I am here)!